We appreciate the enormous support that our ABestWeb community has experienced over the many years it has served its members and sponsors. We have decided to exit this business and have placed the property up for sale and we are actively entertaining interest.

In the meantime, community members will be able to read but not post to ABestWeb beginning on Jan. 18.

We want to thank you for your numerous contributions and your ongoing support. If you have any questions, please let us know.

it is really frustrating when you spend x amt of time putting up products for other stores and then having that transaction get reversed at the very last minute.

the way I run my online store I can spot a fraud a mile away and my processor declines a lot of them automatically...so far, I have 0 reversals due to cc fraud.

so, my advice to online shoe stores: if it's a question of returns then affiliates should be made aware of it.

also, it would really help, if you put up some info on how to measure the foot and tailored to each specific shoe brand, cos, I'm pretty sure many of people that buy shoes online are half morons to begin with...

so anyways, right now affiliate stuff is just a big waste of my time, I'm just going to concentrate more on my own online store...

I always stayed a mile away from shoes as an aff. Even though they would've fit on some of my sites at the time... Is there a bigger impulse purchase than shoes? That works to both the benefit and the chagrin of affiliates. Big sales, big returns.

And good to know you don't watch stats that closely John. I'm taking the rest of the day off

Trust No 1. There are probably a few here that are successful and that is great! But if you took an average here it wouldn't be that great. This would without doubt be a great business if you eliminated all the BULLSHIT! Exactly what both Teampb and Electropulse stated. There is is something wrong when you make more money from the big G then all the merchants on your site. One thing about the big G , they don't screw you around. When I check my stats at the big G and compare them to the big C it's totally ridulous.

"There is is something wrong when you make more money from the big G then all the merchants on your site."

? Don't even know how to answer that, lots of variables. What kind of site you have, what kind of traffic you're getting, how good you are at this. This is like any other business and 95% + of small businesses fail. But people do make good money and if you work hard and smart, you can to. It's not for everyone.

You hit it right on the head TrustNo1 - 95% and I am in that group. The big C is CJ.
The point being I used to do not to bad with them and they have gone to hell and this has being going on for a year now. Please don't misunderstand me as I am happy that you are doing so good. You have to have the technical skills to make this business work so I have no one to blame but myself.

I have no technical skills. If we lined up everybody at ABW as far as technical knowledge, I would be in the bottom 10%.

Do you remember that recent thread somebody started that after expenses they made over $8,000 in a single month. Part time. Now if they did that every month, they would be around $100,000 for the year. Part time. Proof right there that it can be done regardless of the problems out there.

"You have to have the technical skills to make this business work so I have no one to blame but myself."

That's what I like to see and I mean that in a good way. It's rare that I would see somebody not doing good or going into a slump saying something along those lines. Most of the time they don't look at what they're doing but look for something to blame and that kind of thinking keeps them down. Because there are problems out there but there are also plenty of affiliates that are successful regardless. They understand there are problems, like any business, you work on them the best you can but you don't let them drown you.

You would be surprised how many people here on ABW make six figures and up. I bet there are more affiliates here on ABW making six figures and up than there are Google employees making six figures and up. There are many, many successful people here, and many of them share their knowledge and expertise very freely.

I get checks from CJ and LS but the checks are often "low."
One of my family members has (repeatedly) made an observation that I am wasting my time ... I wish I had higher checks to show, but I continue doing this because I like creating web pages & sites.

I'd like to learn new techniques/methods, explore new concepts, and improve my sites

I usually hand pick the products I promote on my site(s) -- it's like having me as a personal shopper

I've left, but not for good. More like just put the affiliate stuff on the back burner for the time being. I finally got myself a vehicle a little over a week ago (first I've had in years) and went out and got a part time job (yeah, some don't like the word, blah blah). First offline work I've done since November 2003, but in the week and 1/2 I've worked this job I've made more than I made last month.

The rent is still going to be due, the bills are still going to be due whether I make commissions or not. And the way this year is/was going online, I wouldn't have had to worry about those things in a month or two. My stress level has dropped completely not having to worry about that for the last week and 1/2, haven't had an anxiety attack either which I used to have nearly every other day (and they feel more like a stroke). And I'm hoping to push it to full time in the next few weeks. I can always find a job, I can't always count on commissions.

I've been designing websites for well over a decade. I've always enjoyed it immensely, when it was non-financial. When I had to start relying on it and bust my ass for a few bucks, it sucked the fun right out of it. Now I find little enjoyment in designing websites.

I actually did pretty good last year, which was my first full year. But that was last year.

You would be surprised how many people here on ABW make six figures and up. I bet there are more affiliates here on ABW making six figures and up than there are Google employees making six figures and up. There are many, many successful people here, and many of them share their knowledge and expertise very freely.

I can back up Michale's statement. I know personally about 10 people making over 100k per month....and many others I can only imagine based on my sales numbers alone...

There are many here that pull in over 100K a year, absolutely...

Easy? Of course not, if so everyone would be a millionaire doing affiliate marketing.

Is the knowledge available here? Yes....its all here on the forum too. You need to know what to ask and how to use the search functions.

As a note, a few people that attended my seminar shared and spoke about what they do and how they do it and anyone in the room that picked it up could have used that info to pull an extra 10K - 20K per month.

Folks, nothing in life is easy...the elevator to success has been broken for while, you need to take the stairs...step by step. In thi sbuss, more than others, reading and learning are key instruments to success.

I can relate. I haven't really updated my sites in about two months, with the exception of a few little things. The worst part is I've jumped back up in Google, but I am just too drained with all the crap I've been going through. And to bust my hump on sites that make me maybe $200 a month when all is said and done, isn't my idea of fun.

Don't let the shoe reversals get you down Electro! It's bound to happen as people really can't pick the ideal size without first trying a pair on. Before jumping out of affiliate marketing all-together I suggest starting work in a different market. There are some that have very little to no reversals. Also, work on something that you're passionate about and your passion will show through your site. I wish you the best of luck!

I meant that in a positive way. Sounds like the way to create a solid base.

Well, I hope so -- it sure can be slow going at times.

Consistent checks (I get a check at least from either CJ or LS a month or every other month) are great, but mine can be low at times.

I know that I need better layouts for my sites and then I need to learn PHP, MySQl etc... maybe in the fall a local community college might be offering a course? Until then I have some books and can learn something from them

I'd love to change things overnight, but good sites that attract visitors take time.

As Trust said you don't need to learn php or mysql to be successful. There are many different paths to achieving success.

I like cracking esoteric programming nuts...that certainly hasn't garnered me anymore earnings as an affiliate...although it has saved me time in the long run.

Luckily for me these things are enjoyable. I've worked in the technology industry off and on (mostly off though) since 86 er so...luckily for me I enjoy doing graphic work also since I ended up getting my education in Fine arts as opposed to computer science.

But Man there are Many times I feel like electropulse.

I have all the technical skills that most people may think they need to "make it in this business"...but those skills are not what makes it.

Sometimes I'm so ADD in different directions with all the "skills" its hard to push one site to the level it needs to be. Once in a long while I can find the time and focus. I'm trying to do these things while trying to raise and nurture 2 small children also..like many mothers out there.

I had a really great 5 month stretch but things have tanked again and I guess if this wasn't an enjoyable thing I would walk away....but there is always another idea or tweak around the corner that pulls me back in.

Do what makes you feel good inside. Affiliate marketing may not be it. Its better to be happy inside than banging your head against a wall...I guess...